Just One Moment
by Ultrawoman
Summary: One shot. Twist on a scene from Afterlife, because it needs some sweet Spuffy. Spike gets more time with Buffy when he first sees her (the Scoobies didn’t burst in and ruin their moment)


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A/N : This is the same kinda thing as my other one-shot fic 'Just What I Needed' though the two stories are not actually related. So many times in early Season 6 I saw scenes that could have been perfect sweet Spuffy moments, 'Just What I Needed' was my own sweet Spuffy ending to Life Serial, this is a twist on a scene from Afterlife. Hope you like...

Rating : G/PG

Spoilers : 5.14 Crush, 6.1&2 Bargaining, 6.3 Afterlife

Summary : One shot. Twist on a scene from Afterlife, because it needs some sweet Spuffy. Spike gets more time with Buffy when he first sees her (the Scoobies didn't burst in and ruin their moment)

Disclaimer : Joss owns all characters and some of this is basically stolen straight from the ep Afterlife.

Just One Moment

"I've seen the bloody bot before" Spike sighs in annoyance as he looks between Dawn and what appears to be Buffy beside her on the stairs "Didn't think she'd patch up so-" the words die on his lips as a familiar feeling passes through him. The blonde woman on the steps before him is not mechanical, she is very much human, and alive. She is his sweet Slayer.

"She's kind of...she's been through a lot, with the...death" Dawn mumbles as Spike continues to stare in amazement at a woman he never believed he'd see again, only in his dreams. 

Buffy suddenly notices her shirt is still unbuttoned and now begins frantically buttoning it, finding it hurts to do so. Dawn continues to stare at Spike, who continues to stare at Buffy in apparent disbelief. 

"Spike? Are you okay?" the younger girl checks somewhat worriedly.  
"I'm..." his voice trails away before he asks "What did you do?"  
"Me? Nothing" Dawn immediately denies knowing anything about it, though she wishes she did.

Buffy clutches the top of her shirt closed, looking down at her feet and then over at Spike a little fearfully, though it's not obvious why. She shifts uncomfortably when he frowns.

"Her hands?" he's speaking to Dawn but his eyes don't move from Buffy has she tries to hide her sliced knuckles behind her back.

"I was gonna fix them. I don't know how they got like that" Dawn frowns and shakes her head, but Spike doesn't see it. Buffy is finally looking at him properly, their eyes meet and despite the awful subject they are talking of there is a slight smile on Spike's lips, so pleased to see her again.  
"Clawed her way out of her coffin, that's how" he says absently, "Isn't that right?"  
"Yeah" Buffy's reply is barely audible "That's what I had to do"  
"Done it myself" Spike nods, still trying to take in the fact that the real Buffy Summers is back in this world, standing right in front of him like a vision. Suddenly he seems to become aware of how much he must be staring and despite the fact it feels as if the world has stopped turning, it hasn't.

"We'll take care of you" he says, encouraging the Slayer to come down the stairs towards him "Come here" he half smiles as she does just that and he guides her into the living room, sending Dawn to fetch mercurochrome and bandages. His Little Bit complies as always, running back up the stairs for the medical supplies.  
Buffy takes a seat on the sofa and Spike follows her into the living room, sitting down on the edge of the coffee table opposite her. He tries not to stare like an idiot but finds he is unable to do anything else. She seems to be staring at him too, as they both glance between his shaking hands that dare to gently take hold of hers and each others eyes.

"How long was I gone?" she asks eventually, her voice shaking slightly.  
"A hundred and forty-seven days yesterday" Spike says just as softly "A hundred and forty-eight today" he smiles a little as he realises "'Cept today doesn't really count, does it?" 

Buffy doesn't respond but he doesn't care, just so glad to have her back, not yet caring why or how she got here. He looks at her hands again, then back at her face. 

"How long was it for you, where you were?" he dares to ask, knowing as the Scoobies did she has probably been in a terrible place and hoping it hadn't seemed so long for her.  
"Longer" she whispers, watching the floor and Spike tries to push back the tears he feels forming behind his eyes. Tears of joy for having her back. Tears of guilt that he didn't prevent her passing. Tears because he feels the pain he knows she is in, both physically from the state of the hands he still holds, and emotionally from all she's been through.

"Why am I here, Spike?" he hears her whimper, tear flowing freely down her face as she looks up at him.

"I don't know pet" he answers truthfully, releasing one of her hands and daring to push some hair back from her cheek. She looks so lost, alone and afraid, all he wants to do it wrap her up in cotton wool and protect her from the whole world. He wants to love her and keep her safe and make sure nothing and no-one ever makes her suffer again. If only she would let him, thats all he wants to do. It would be selfish to tell her this now, when she is still confused and tired and hurt, but he believes she could see it in his eyes if only she would look.

"I got the stuff" Dawn says quietly as she re-enters the room. She frowns as she passes the first aid kit to Spike and notices dampness on his cheeks as well as her sisters.

"Good job, Bit" he smiles slightly at her. 

Without another word he opens the box and sets the supplies out on the table. He reaches for Buffy's hand and after just a seconds hesitation she lets him clean her wounds. Dawn watches for a while, the way her sisters eyes follow every move the vampire makes. She notices how gentle he is with Buffy and wonders now more than ever how he was ever evil.

Finally the Slayers hands are bandaged and Dawn takes the medical stuff away in silence.

"These should be good as new in a few days" Spike half smiles as he still holds one of Buffy's hands. Her eyes appear to be looking right through him and though Spike would never admit it she's starting to worry him.

"You would tell me pet" he begins with a slight frown, "If you were in pain or anything, you would tell me"

"I..." she opens her mouth to speak but no words come out, just a strange sound somewhere between a cry and a cough, before she bursts into tears, her whole body flopping forward onto a rather startled Spike.

Tentatively he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close to him as she sobs all over him, hands grabbing onto the leather of his coat, desperate to cling onto him like he's her only hope of anything.

Spike is confused, but would never refuse a chance to be close to the one he loves so much. He only wishes he knew why she was crying. Relief to be back? Flashbacks to the hell she's been in, or perhaps the ordeal of having to dig out of her grave? It doesn't matter right now, she just needs comfort and he will give it as best he can.

"What happened?" Dawn asks softly as she re-enters the room. Spike looks over to her and shakes his head.

"I dunno, Bit" he sighs, "I think Big Sis is just a little over-whelmed...like us" he tells her.

A few moments later, the Slayers sobs subside and she seems very close to sleep. She's practically sitting on his lap now with her head resting on his shoulder and her hands still clinging onto his coat as if her life depends on being close to him.

"I think she just needs rest now" Spike whispers to Dawn, who nods and watches as Spike carefully stands up, keeping one arm around Buffy's body and hooking the other under her legs so he can carry her.

"Lead the way Bit" he half smiles at the brunette girl who carefully and quietly makes her way up the stairs, followed by the vampire with the sleeping Slayer in his arms.

At the top of the stairs, Dawn turns and opens a door, revealing Buffy's room, just as the Slayer had left it months ago. Gently Spike lays the blonde girl down on her own bed, careful not to wake her, but the grip she has on him does not let up and he finds he cannot get free without disturbing her. He looks to Dawn who only shrugs that she has no idea what they should do.

With a sigh, Spike takes hold of the Slayers hand and tries to unfurl her fingers from the leather of his coat. She whimpers in her sleep, shifting across the bed towards him and he shakes his head, she is clearly not going to let him leave her and as crazy as the situation is, he finds it warms his heart to know she wants him, even if it is in an unconscious state.

'The only chance you had with me was when I was unconscious' he remembers her words that had seemed so cruel at one time and now smiles at them as he realises how strangely true they're turning out to be. He carefully lowers himself onto the edge of the bed and immediately Buffy pushes her body up close to him.

Dawn can't help but smile at the sight of them. She has her sister back and she has Spike here too, her two favourite people looking very much like a couple right now.

The youngest Summers thinks fast and closes the curtains against the sun that will soon be rising. Spike shoots her a grateful smile and the pair share a small smile and wave before the young girl leaves, closing the door silently behind her.

Spike's eyes adjust to the darker surroundings of the bedroom as he pulls Buffy closer to him and loves that she wants to be there. 

Tomorrow there will be explanations and problems to fix, not to mention facing the Scoobies, but right now it is just him and his Slayer. Maybe it's all just another dream that feels glorious now and when he wakes will be almost as painful as losing her the first time, but he doesn't care. He'll savour this moment for as long as he can, the moment he thought would never come, the moment he never wants to end.

~The End~


End file.
